One aspect of the present invention relates generally to a system and process that allows a television viewer to access on screen television program listings and use the program listings in an easy and convenient way to control operation of a video cassette recorder (VCR) or other recording device. In particular, it relates to a system and process that displays on a television screen, overlaying a primary television display or program, a small background schedule guide that can be easily accessed by a user during lulls in the primary television display or program.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to such a system and process that creates a directory of recorded programs by title for easy retrieval and program playback. More particularly, it relates to such a system and process in which the VCR or other recording device is controlled by a simple selection of program title and a record command, even for recording at a future date and time. Most especially, it relates to such a system and process incorporating an intuitive user interface.
Yet another aspect of the present invention relates generally to a cable television (CATV) decoder interface. More particularly, it relates to such an interface for connecting the cable television decoder to a television accessory, such as a video cassette recorder (VCR). Most especially, it relates to such an interface which maintains full functionality of the television accessory while connected to the decoder.
The difficulty of setting a VCR for automatic recording at a future date is notorious. Even users who are technically sophisticated will often make mistakes in the VCR programming procedure that cause them to record the wrong program or not to record anything at all. This difficulty has even resulted in a substantial body of humor dedicated to the subject of programming VCRs.
The difficulty of VCR programming has been alleviated somewhat by the development of VCRs that use a television set as a display for user prompts and feedback to the user during the programming process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,713, issued Mar. 13, 1990 to Michael R. Levine, discloses such a VCR using the television set as a display for VCR programming with an interactive user interface for directing the user on a step-by-step basis. Such a user interface removes a great deal of the mystery from VCR programming, but users still have difficulty with such a command-based interface and encounter problems carrying out the programming without making mistakes that cause them to miss recording programs they would like to watch at a different time than when they are broadcast.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,121, issued Nov. 10, 1987 to Patrick Young, discloses a system and process in which user selections from television schedule information are used for automatic control of a VCR. That patent also contains a description of a proposed user interface for such a system and process. However, the provision of a highly intuitive user interface that makes such a system and process easy and convenient to operate is a difficult task. Further development of this system and process has produced considerable change in the user interface as originally proposed.
In addition to simplifying VCR programming, users who do a substantial amount of program taping also need an improved system and process for keeping track of their recorded programs. Commonly assigned application Ser. No. 07/219,971, filed Jul. 15, 1988, in the name of Patrick Young, discloses a system and process that provides indexing capability for taped material. A user interface for a television schedule system and process should also handle this capability on an intuitive basis.
Thus, while the art pertaining to the control of VCRs and to television schedule systems is a well-developed one, a need still remains for a television schedule system and process incorporating an improved user interface. In particular, unlike most computer menus, a grid TV guide is an array of irregular cells, where the cell size can vary from a fraction of an hour to many hoursxe2x80x94extending well beyond the current screen. If this array is navigated by a cursor that goes from cell to cell, a single cursor command can produce violent screen changes. For example, a cursor right command may cause an abrupt jump to a cell situated several hours from the current page. Not only is this unsettling, but may take considerable effort to recover. Clearly, a gentler cursor motion is needed for the irregular cells found in a grid TV guide.
Printed grid television schedule guides often include additional information besides the program title and broadcast names. Such grids are also typically provided in combination with a more detailed printed schedule that contains a synopsis of each program, whether the program is a repeat, ratings for movies, and other information. When using a television set as a display for a schedule system, the size and resolution of the television display limit the amount of text that can be displayed with the grid. Improved techniques are required for conveying the most amount of information to the user in an easily understood manner within the limitations of the television display. When a large number of channels are available for viewing, there is also a need to order the display of information most conveniently for the user.
Programming a VCR for unattended recording becomes even more problematic when it is desired to record cable programs. Cable television decoders typically operate by requiring a television set and a VCR connected to the decoder to be set to a predetermined channel, such as channel 2, 3 or 4, and all channel selection is accomplished by the decoder. This presents problems for unattended recording, in that not all of the advanced features available on state-of-the-art VCRs can be used while the VCR is under control of the decoder.
Two Zenith Electronics Corporation technical papers disclose systems which attempt to deal with this problem. Merrell, xe2x80x9cTac-Timer,xe2x80x9d 1986 NCTA Technical Papers, pp. 203-206, discloses a smart remote controller to solve the unattended programming problem when a cable decoder precedes a VCR. The smart controller is programmed to turn on the cable decoder at specific times, but the VCR must be programmed independently to match the programming of the smart controller. However, this remote controller does not coordinate channel selection for such devices as television schedule systems, such as disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,121, issued Nov. 10, 1987, nor does it support unique features of more advanced VCRs. For example, this controller does not support on-screen VCR programming, even if that feature is otherwise available on a VCR. The controller does not include any capability for conveying information about a channel selected on the cable decoder unit to a television schedule system or a VCR in any useful way.
Long, xe2x80x9cThe VCR Interface,xe2x80x9d 1986 NCTA Technical Papers, pp. 197-202, discloses two solutions for the unattended programming problem when a cable decoder precedes a VCR. The first of these is a VCR baseband decoder, also called BASE-TAC, and currently marketed by Zenith as MultiPort or MP. MPs allow the core functions (descrambling and addressing) of a cable decoder to be added to TVs and VCRs. The decoder accepts the baseband output of the TV or VCR tuner, eliminating the need for a separate decoder tuner and attendant need to coordinate two tuners. This method is effective for supporting television schedule systems and allows full functionality of advanced VCR features. However, the MP alternative requires new TV or VCR equipment and is not compatible with the existing installed base of cable decoders. This method has not been well-received at this time. The second is the VCR Interface, which uses RF switching and a centralized approach for all TVs and VCRs in the home. It descrambles incoming CATV channels and, after modulation, combines them back onto the CATV cable at unused upper channels. The result is that any TV set on the cable can receive premium channels without a separate decoder. This method eliminates the need for redundant decoders at every TV set or VCR. As described, the system was conceived for only one premium channel. To support a television schedule system, all premium channels must be descrambled together and be available simultaneously. If not, it would be necessary to provide a way of tuning the centralized descrambler from any TV set or VCR attached to the cable. Such a scheme would be awkward when more than one TV or VCR competes for control of the single descrambler. The VCR interface may be implemented using retrofitted decoders, but the overall cost may be prohibitive for the average home.
A somewhat similar system for use with the German television networks is described in Sommerhauser, xe2x80x9cVideo Programm System: Flexibel programmieren mit VPS,xe2x80x9d Funkschau, No. 25, December 1985, pp. 47-51.
Other prior art relating to CATV, its decoders, and programmable remote devices includes west German Published Application 2,338,380, published Feb. 13, 1975; U.K. Patent 1,554,411, published Oct. 17, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,651, issued Mar. 1, 1983 to Templin et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,691, issued Jul. 19, 1983 to Amano et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,114, issued Jan. 31, 1989 to Sogame. While the prior art relating to cable decoder interfaces and similar devices is a well-developed one, a need remains for further development of such devices. None of the existing interfaces both provides a complete solution to the problem of unattended recording and is compatible with already installed equipment.
The above problems and difficulties present in the prior art are overcome through the use of the novel system and method of the present invention. One aspect of the present invention is directed to a system and method to allow automatic, unattended recording of cable television programs supplied on a cable system as herein disclosed. A video recording system to allow automatic, unattended recording or at least two cable television programs supplied sequentially at different times on different channels of a cable system includes a television receiver, a remote controllable cable decoder and a remote controllable video recorder with unattended programming capability connected between the television receiver and the cable decoder. A remote controller for the video recorder includes a means for user input of program selections from a television schedule. The remote controller is coupled to the video recorder. A channel selection coordinator includes a memory means for storing channel tuning conversion information and program selections input by the user with the means for user input of program selections. A means converts channels of the at least two program selections to channel tuning commands recognizable by the cable decoder using the channel tuning conversion information and the program selections. A means automatically transmits the channel tuning commands to the cable decoder at desired activation times of the at least two program selections (typically the broadcast times, with a guard time at the beginning and end of each program). A means automatically supplies recording commands to the video recorder at the desired activation times of the at least two program selections.
The method of this aspect of the invention automatically records cable television programs supplied sequentially at different times on a cable system unattended, even with channel changes between the programs. A remote controllable video recorder having unattended programming capability is connected between a television receiver and a remote controllable cable decoder. Channel tuning conversion information is stored in a memory. Program selections for at least two programs on different channels is input from a television schedule with a remote controller for the video recorder. The program selections are stored in the memory. Channels of the program selections are converted to channel tuning commands recognizable by the cable decoder using the channel tuning conversion information and the program selections. The channel tuning commands are automatically transmitted to the cable decoder at broadcast times of the program selections. Recording commands are automatically transmitted to the video recorder at the broadcast times of the program selections.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a novel television schedule system and process user interface herein disclosed. A television schedule system including a user interface in accordance with this aspect of the invention has a display and a means connected to the display for displaying the television schedule on the display as an array of irregular cells which vary dimensionally in length, corresponding to different television program time lengths. A means is connected to the display for providing a cursor with the television schedule on the display. The cursor has a variable length corresponding to the length of a selected one of the irregular cells in which the cursor is located. A means is connected to the means for providing the cursor for moving the cursor in the array in a series of equal length steps. At least some of the irregular cells have a length which is greater than the length of the steps.
In the process of operating a television schedule system with the user interface of this aspect of the invention, the television schedule is displayed as an array of irregular cells which vary dimensionally in length, corresponding to different television program time lengths. A cursor is provided with the television schedule on the display, the cursor has a variable length corresponding to the length of a selected one of the irregular cells in which the cursor is located. The cursor is moved in the array in a series of equal length steps, with at least some of the irregular cells having a length which is greater than the length of the steps.
In another aspect of the invention, a control system for a video recording machine has a controller for starting and stopping the video recording machine, for recording video information on recording media, and for playing recorded video information on recording media. A display generator provides display image generation signals. A means supplies information to the display generator for generation of display images relating to operation of the video recording machine. The means for supplying information includes means for generating a recording media position indicator graduated as segments corresponding to programs recorded on the recording media.
In a process for controlling a video recording machine according to this aspect of the invention, a recording media position indicator is graduated as segments corresponding to programs recorded on the recording media. The recording media position indicator is displayed as position of a selected one of the recording media in the video recording machine is changed.
In a further aspect of the invention, a television schedule system includes a display and means connected to the display for displaying the television schedule on the display. The means for displaying a schedule is configured to allow selection by a user of a first number of desired channels for display of schedule information which is less than a second number of available channels. A programmable tuner is connected to the means for displaying a schedule. The programmable tuner is configured to follow the first number of desired channels when the television schedule is shown on the display in response to a channel up or channel down command. The programmable tuner is configured to follow the second number of available channels in the absence of the television schedule on the display in response to a channel up or channel down command.
In a process for operating a television schedule system according to this further aspect of the invention, a first number of desired channels is selected for display of schedule information, which is less than a second number of available channels. The schedule information is displayed on a display. The first number of desired channels is followed when the schedule information is shown on the display in response to a channel up or channel down command. The second number of available channels is followed in the absence of the television schedule on the display in response to a channel up or channel down command.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, user control of a television is simplified by a system and process that displays on a television screen, overlaying a primary television display or program, a small background schedule guide that can be easily accessed by a user during lulls in the primary television display or program.
The attainment of the foregoing and related objects, advantages and features of the invention should be more readily apparent to those skilled in the art, after review of the following more detailed description of the invention, taken together with the drawings.